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On the other end of the line was captain Daniel Alfredsson letting the Senators' veteran defenceman know that he had made a decision to move on with his career. He didn't want Phillips to find out at the same time as everyone else.

Naturally, Phillips was taken aback.

"I was a bit shocked to hear about it as anyone (would be)," said Phillips from his Ottawa home. "He gave me a call and gave me a heads up on what was happening. That was the time that I was shocked. I had a bit of a heads up.

"I certainly respect what he did. He was up all night thinking about it. The main (reason) was he wants to go win. We didn't get into it too deep. He had a lot of discussions with his wife Bibi and a lot of other people."

Nobody ever envisioned Alfredsson not being in an Ottawa uniform, but all good things must end. In this case, he decided he wanted to chase his dream of winning a Stanley Cup with the Detroit Red Wings.

That doesn't mean his former teammates have to like it.

Senators defenceman Marc Methot wasn't expecting the news.

"It's very disappointing," said Methot. "The biggest thing is it caught a lot of us off guard. We all were pretty adamant that he was going to return because he is grounded in this city and so well-loved that (everyone figured) something would work out.

"He's got the right to do what he wants to do. He has meant everything to this city. It's just a really a tough situation because it's happening in the middle of the summer. If it was happening at the trade deadline and the team wasn't doing so well, it'd be different. It's something we have to deal with."

The Senators aren't just losing a player, they are losing a large presence in the dressing room.

"That's a huge hole in terms of leadership because Alfie is so well respected and he's been so good with all the Swedish players on our team that have looked up to him," said Methot. "It's sad. You're going to see a lot of upset people, but that's the harsh reality of this game."

Former Senators coach Jacques Martin, an analyst on TVA Sports, said he compares Alfredsson departure to Ray Bourque's decision to accept a trade to Colorado in an attempt to win a Cup.

"I am surprised. I know what kind of person, character and what he's meant to the franchise," said Martin from Montreal. "At the same time, I almost compare it to Ray Bourque.

"When you look at Ray Bourque in Boston, he was that franchise, he was the ultimate. Daniel is the same. Does he have a chance winning a Cup in Ottawa next year? Well ... He probably feels he has a chance of winning a Stanley Cup."

Martin said this was a tough decision for Alfredsson.

"I'm sure that was difficult. He has played his entire career there. He really is Mr. Ottawa," said Martin. "When you think about Ottawa and their team, they've been outstanding (and) he's been a big part of that with his leadership and play.

"He probably felt that he wanted to give himself a chance of winning a Stanley Cup. He's won a gold medal with Sweden. If he goes to Detroit, they've got several Swedish players."

Methot said he thinks the club is well-positioned to win.

"I like us for next year," he said. "We're a contender. All this experience with the young guys, great goaltending and a solid defence, I like us going into next year. It's tough to understand it."

On the other end of the line was captain Daniel Alfredsson letting the Senators' veteran defenceman know that he had made a decision to move on with his career. He didn't want Phillips to find out at the same time as everyone else.

Naturally, Phillips was taken aback.

"I was a bit shocked to hear about it as anyone (would be)," said Phillips from his Ottawa home. "He gave me a call and gave me a heads up on what was happening. That was the time that I was shocked. I had a bit of a heads up.

"I certainly respect what he did. He was up all night thinking about it. The main (reason) was he wants to go win. We didn't get into it too deep. He had a lot of discussions with his wife Bibi and a lot of other people."